Short Summary

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Vatican department which looks after missionary activities, Pope Paul VI ordained 38 priests from 16 different countries; Australia, Bangladesh, Burundi, Ceylon (2), Formosa (2), India (5), Yugoslavia (2), Vietnam (7) -- four of them born in the North and three in the South -- Kenya (2), Nigeria (4), New Zealand, Ruanda, Sudan (3), Thailand, Togo (3) and Uganda (2).

Description

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Vatican department which looks after missionary activities, Pope Paul VI ordained 38 priests from 16 different countries; Australia, Bangladesh, Burundi, Ceylon (2), Formosa (2), India (5), Yugoslavia (2), Vietnam (7) -- four of them born in the North and three in the South -- Kenya (2), Nigeria (4), New Zealand, Ruanda, Sudan (3), Thailand, Togo (3) and Uganda (2). They will all serve as missionaries.

SYNOPSIS: Pope Paul begins an ordination ceremony for 38 new priests on Friday during the Feast of the Three Kings.

It's the first recent public appearance of the 75-year-old Pontiff who has been confined to bed with influenza. The occasion is to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Vatican Department responsible for the missionary activities of the Roman Catholic Church. Until a few years ago, the department was known as the "Propaganda Fidei", that is "for the spreading of the Faith". But the word "propaganda" assumed connotations of unfair pressure and falsehood, and the church found it advisable to change the name of the Vatican department. It's now called, the department for the "Evangelisation of Peoples". The new priests, all of whom will be missionaries, are from 16 different countries.

Seven are from Vietnam, both North and South, and others come from Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe.